The Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday passed Senate Bill 47, introduced by Senator Merika Coleman, D-Birmingham, which would allow a parent to collect retroactive child support under certain circumstances.
SB47 states that if paternity is legally established and a child support order is entered within the first year after a child’s birth, the order may extend retroactively to cover the period beginning nine months before the child’s birth. The bill specifies that it would not authorize a child support order if the child is not born alive.
All other rules and standards related to child support orders, payments and custody agreements would remain unchanged under SB47.
Coleman introduced similar legislation during the 2025 legislative session. She argued that if Alabama recognizes life as beginning at conception, financial support for a child should apply retroactively to the duration of a mother’s pregnancy. The Senate passed that version last year, but the House did not bring it to the floor for a vote.
After brief discussion, the committee approved SB47 on Wednesday and sent it to the full Senate for consideration.
If the governor signs it into law, SB47 would take effect October 1, 2026.
